Saturday, November 30, 2013

1870 - LHP Frank “Lefty” Killen was born in Pittsburgh. He spent six seasons with the Bucs (1893-98) and twice led the NL in wins twice, with 36 (a team record) in ‘93 and 30 in ‘96. Lefty’s line with Pittsburgh was 112-82/3.97. The team released him during the 1898 campaign, and his last season was 1900.

1901 - Pirate coach Clyde Sukeforth was born in Washington, Maine. A long time Brooklyn Dodger coach and scout, he came to Pittsburgh in the same roles in 1952, and was said to be the main driver in the selection of Roberto Clemente in the 1954 Rule 5 draft. He turned down the chance to succeed Pirate skipper Bobby Bragan in 1957 and retired as a coach after the season, but remained with the Pirates as a scout and minor league manager through 1962.

1950 - Pittsburgh signed the Boston Brave’s OF Pete Reiser, a three-time all-star for the Brooklyn Dodgers, as a FA. Reiser hit .271 in 74 games as a Bucco bench player and was released following the season.

Bowman series 1951

1976 - OF/1B Craig Wilson was born in Fountain Valley, California. He played as a semi-regular for the Bucs from 2001-06 with a line of .268/.360/.486, 94 HR and 284 RBI, along with a 28% career K rate. Wilson tied the MLB single-season record for pinch-hit home runs with seven in 2001. Hand injuries in 2005 and shoulder surgery in 2007 ended his career.

2012 - The Pirates signed free agent catcher Russell Martin, a three-time All-Star, to a two year, $17M deal, the largest free agency contract they had ever negotiated. He got a $2M signing bonus, $6.5M for 2013 and $8.5M for 2014.

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